This invention relates generally to hair replacement units and hairpieces and relates more particularly to a technique by which a hair replacement unit can be attached to the head of a recipient, such as a balding person, by means of a non-surgical "Permanently-Rooted Hair Retention System".
It is known that in order to attach a hair replacement unit to the head of a recipient wherein the recipient retains at least some natural hair, tufts of the recipient's natural hair can be intertwined with a filament or thread to form a securing ring or anchoring braid about the head of the recipient. By subsequently attaching the hair replacement unit to the securing ring, the unit is anchored to the head. Examples of attachment methods for forming such securing rings are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,871,389 and 4,372,330.
One such method, described in the latter of the referenced patents and with which the present invention is to be compared, includes the steps of anchoring a pair of juxtaposed filament pieces to a first tuft of gathered natural hair, twisting the members of the filament pair about each other to form a first winding, positioning a second tuft of natural hair between the filament pair and twisting the filament hair about one another so as to form a second winding. The process of gathering natural hair into tufts and twisting the filament hair about each gathered tuft is repeated until an anchoring braid of desired length is formed wherein each gathered tuft is locked between successive windings of the filament pair.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved technique or method for forming an anchoring braid with the natural hair of a recipient of a hair replacement unit.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a technique providing an improved anchoring braid for anchoring a hair replacement unit to the head of a recipient.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide such a technique which can be carried out quickly and with relative ease.
A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide such a technique of attaching a hair replacement unit without surgery or auxiliary attaching devices such as hair clips or pins.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a "Permanently-Rooted Hair Retention System" for firmly securing an artificial hair replacement unit to the recipient's own natural hair.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide such a hair retention system which is both strong and durable.
A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved dispenser for dispensing filament to the recipient's head at the site of the braid-forming operation.